Process and device for fume control



Nov. 22, 1927.

R. S. PERRY PROCESS AND DEVICE FOR FUME CONTROL Filed Aug. 2,5, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTQR A TTORNE Y Patented Nov. 22, 1927.

UNITED STATES ROBERT S. PERRY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

PROCESS .AND DEVICE FOR FUME CONTROL.

Application 1ed August 25, 1923. Serial No. 659,408.

My invention relates to fume treatment processes and devices and refers particularly to processes and devices. of that character suitable for cyclic operations.

In the heat treatment of many substances, such as the heat treatment of materials in the production of 'varnishes, lacquers and other products, the fumes arising therefrom are, at times, inflammable and explosive while they frequently contain products of a valuable nature -'which it is commercially economical to recover.

Many of these fume carried products are of an oxidizable nature, the oxidized results, at times, having progressively less commercial value as oxidation progresses. For this reason. it is desirable to obtain these fume contents with as little oxidation as possible fume .stream is of itself 'oxidizing in its effect' on valuable recoverable constitutents thereof` it is evident that the contents recovered therefrom lshould be removed from the reactive field of the main fume stream as quickly as possible.

Because of the inflammable nature of the fumes produced in such heating treatments, it is customary to introduce fire-arresting devices. generally7 of a mechanical nature, Within the passage of the'fumc-stream, in order to prevent the ignited fumes from communieating with other portions of the necessary plant system. Such mechanical tire-arresting devices usually comprise mechanical means for closing the fume conduit in the event of tire. but as the fumes usually contain gummy materials, these devices are frequently rendered inoperative.

The fun'les also frequently contain substances and products which it is desirable to remove and Awhich are absorbable by liquids containing suitable chemicals, and hence. the passage of the fumes'through, or their contactwith, such solutions results in the removal of such substances from the fumes.

Usually the three above-mentioned operations are conducted separately, thus involving the employment of considerable apparatus, with its consequent initial expense, its 11p-keep and the employment of a large amount of necessary labor.

The device of my invention overcomes all o f the above-mentioned, and other, difficulties and sources of danger and expense and presents a` means whereby by passing the t specification, with its accompanying drawings, will explain many of these features and advantages and will indicate its usefulness for the treatment of fume streams for the purposes indicated.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating one form of the device of my invention, similar parts are designated by similar numerals. Figure 1 is a cross-section through the line 1-1 of Figure 2.

Figure 2 is a cross-section through the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary cross- 'section through the line 3-3 of Figure 1.l

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary crosssection through theline 4--4 of Figure 1.

The particularvform of my device, shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a cylindrical scrubbing chamber 10, open at the bottom and closedat the top by the cover 4 11 upon which is supported a motor 12. Fixedly attached to the revoluble shaft 13 of the motor 12 is the vertical revoluble shaft 14 resting in the step 15. Fixedly attached to the shaft 14 is a suction fan 16 and a liquid dispersing disc 17. Fixedly attached to the shaft 14 by the spider arms 18, 18 is an inverted hollow cone, or liquid-elevator, 19,

, closed at the bottom and having an outwardly inclined flange lip 20 at its upper portion. Fixedly attached to the cone 19 by means of the supports 21, 21 is an inverted hollow cone, or liquid elevator, 22 spaced from t-he cone 19, open at the bottom and having an outwardly inclined flange lip 23 at its upper portion. The shaft 14 passes through the bearing 24, supported from the sides of the scrubbing chamber 10. The fume exit flue 25 connects with the interior of the scrubbing chamber and the pipe 26 is connected with a source of liquid supply, not shown. The fume entrance pipe 27 connects the interior of the chamber 1() with a source of fume supply, not shown.

A conditioning chamber is formed by the inclined bot-tom 28, the two sides 29, 29, the lower portion of the wall 10, the end 31 and the top 32. An inclined overflow gutter, or trough, 33 is connected with the overflow pipe 34. A-drain pipe 35 having the valve 36 is connected with the interior of the conditioning chamber and the end 31 has the` covered man-hole 37.

-Within the conditioning chamber is a conditioned liquid chamber formed as follows A partition wall 38 abuts upon and forms a jointure with the bot-tom 28 and extends within, and is spaced from, a portion of the wall 10 of the scrubbing chamber and is then extended to, and forms a jointure with, the Wall 10 at A, A. The wall 38 carries the top, or .cover, 39 which is inclined downwardly from the line B-B. The top 39 has an opening 40, through which the cones 19 and 22 extend, there being a space between the cone 22 and the wall of the opening 40. The chamber/formed as above by the wall 38, the bottom 28, the top- 39 and the lower extension 41 of the wall 10 connects with an enclosed the operation is as follows The rapid rotation of the two cones 19 and 22 causes a lilm of liquid to be raised along each of their outer faces, which films are thrown outwardly by the flange lips 20 and 23 causing two curtains of liquid to extend completely across the interior of the scrubbing chamber, which liquid being impinged upon the wall thereof falls downwardly, the greater portion falling between. the wall l0 and the wall 38 thus passing into the condiv tioning chamber. The remainder of the falling liquid will fall upon the top 39 from which it will shed into the space between the' wall 10 and the wall 38 and thence into the conditioning chamber. As the lower end of the return sluice opens into the conditioning chamber, it is evident that a practically equal liquid level will be maintained in the two chambers and that, therefore, there is a cyclic movement of the liquid, whichV is elevated from the conditioned liquid chamber, formed into liquid curtains, returned to the conditioning chamber and thence into the conditioned liquid chamber for re-elevation into the scrubbing chamber.

If we now introduce fumes containing fume contents lighter than liquid through the pipe 27, we have the following results The fumes first pass through a vertical curtain of falling liquid and then, as they move upwardly through the scrubber, they pass through two approximately horizontal curtains o-f liquid, the fume and fume contents notremoved by the liquid passing outwardly through the flue 25.

The liquid carrying the fume ingredients removed from the fume .falls downwardly7 into the space between the wallsl l0 and 38 and thencey into thc conditioning chamber but, as the lat-ter is of much greater capacity than the space between the walls 10 and 38, the rapidity of llow of the liquid will be very greatly reduced, and hence, there will be a very gradual movement of liquid toward the end 31 of the conditioning chamber, thus allowing of gradual and perceptible separation of the insoluble fume contents removed from the fumes, which materials, because of their lighter specific gravity, will rise to the surface, leaving the liquid modified by clarication process for reuse in the lower port-ion of the chamber. The removal of liquid from the upper portion of t-he conditioned liquid chamber by the revolution of the cone elevators will cause an inflow through the sluice of the clarified liquid in the lower portion of the conditioning chamber for purposes of reuse as liquid sprays, or curtains, in the scrubber.

- To automatically remove the suspended mattersin the upper layer o-f the liquid within the conditioning chamber, sui'licient liquid is continuously introduced through the pipe 20 to cause the top layer of liquid to overflow over the wall 31 into the overilow gutter 33 and outwardly through the overflow pipe 34 for purposes of collection if desired.

It will thus be seen that by the process and device of my invention, liquid-removable materials within a fume stream may be removed therefrom, the insoluble materials separated from the liquid and the yliquid thus conditioned returned for the treatment of lll)l untreated fumes, all of the operations being continuous and automatic.

It is evident that if the fume contents removed and carried by the treatment liquor tioned liquid chamber in the upper ortion of the conditioning chamber, thus ailowing the conditioned liquid to be drawn therethrough to the cone'elevator for reuse in the process. y l

Itis to be particularly notedthat in the following of my process'and in the operation of my device, the used liquid carrying the fume content is moved very rapidly from contact with the entering fume stream, thus removed from the oxidizing field of the fume, and then by a reduct-ion of the rapidity of the flow of the liquid after its removal from the oxidizing fume iield there is an automatic separation of the liquid and the fumecontent therein into a conditioned liquid Which is lautomatically returned for fume treatment and the fume contents which were carried thereby, which fume contents are in a minimum condition of oxidation due vto their removal from the fume and their subsequent treatment.

A notable feature of my device is the entire absence of valves Which are a constant source of dili'iculty in the treatment of most fumes, as these fumes usually contain gummy and sticky ingredients causing the non-operation of valves, Whether such valves be incident to the How of the fume, or the iiow of the liquids with which the fumes have been treated. The use ot' valve pumps is entirely eliminated thus greatly reducing the initial cost of the device and its subsequent upkeep. y

' In those devices in which the fumes are 1ntroduced below the surface of a liquid mass for purposes of Washing, it is necessary tov overcome the thus produced hydrostatic head by either pressure or suction. This diiculty is overcome by my device in which no such hydrostatic head occurs.

Another valuable feature ot' my device is its ease and exactness of control of operation. As the conditioning of the used liquid is dependent upon the automatic removal of the fumey contentstherefrom, it is evident that the rapidity of the cone elevators and the amount of fresh liquid introduced will control the fume treatment and the fume content removal from the conditioning chamber, land hence, the control of the operation of my device is accomplished by the proper adjustment of these tivo elements of the process -as practiced the-rein.

My process and device allows of great economy of liquid in that its continuous cyclic opera-tion With the constant removal of 'fume content and return of conditioned liquid overcomes the necessity of large separating tanks with their considerable quantities of liquid contents. For the same reasons, my device is effective in the saving of considerable space and economy of installa.- tion and up-keept It Will be seen from the above that my process and device possesses all of the above noted advantages, and others which are evident upon a consideration of my invent-ion, and that it presents an eli'ective mean for the liquid treatment of fume streams with the rapid removal of the used liquid from the iield of the fume stream, tlie automatic removal of the fume contents from the liquid and the cyclic return of the conditioned liquid for reuse in the process.

I do not limit myself to the particular size, shape, number or arrangement of parts,

nor to t-he particular materials and steps of process, as shown and described, as these are given sim ly as a means for the clear description o my invention and may be Widely varied Without going beyond the scope of my invention.

What I claim s:f

l; In a process for the liquid treatment of fumes, the steps which comprise diverting an upwardly moving volume of liquid into a laterally moving curtain of liquid, impinging a'fume stream against said liquid curtain, collecting the used liquid below the fume stream and rapidly removing said used lquid from surface contact With t-he fumes, and decreasing the rapidity of flow of said used liquid to cause a separation of the gravitationally separable contents of the said used liquid.

2. In a process for the liquid treatment of fumes, the steps Which comprise diverting an upwardly moving volume of liquid into Ia laterally moving curtain of liquid, impinging a fume stream against .the liquid curtain, collecting said used liquid below the fume stream, rapidly removing said used liquid from surface contact with the fumes, decreasing the rapidity of flow of said used liquid causing a separation of the gravitationally separable contents of said used liquid and employing the thus obtained conditioned liquid as said upwardly moving volume of liquid for the production of fume treating laterally moving liquid curtains.

3. In a device for the continuous liquid treatment of fumes, in combination, a scrubbing chamber, means for causing amoving curtain of liquid Within the chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against said liquid curtain, a receiving receptacle for the used liquid, means for rapidly removing said used liquid from surface contact with said fume stream, means for decreasing the rate of flow of said used liq-uid after its contact with the fumes, means for the gravitational separation of the liquid contents and means for returning the thus conditioned liquid to the scrubbing chamber.

4. In a device for the continuous liquid treatment of fumes, in combination, a scrubbing chamber, means for causing a moving curtain of liquid within the chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against the liquid curtain, a receiving receptacle capable of receiving the falling liquid curtain whereby the received used liquid will be removed from Contact with the fumes at a greater speed of flow than that of the liquid rafter such removal and the gravitationally separable materials will be separated from the liquid during such decreased rate of bing chamber, means for causing a moving curtain of liquid within the chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against Athe liquid curtain, a conditioning chamber capable of receiving the used liquid, means within the chamber whereby the rate of How of said used liquid therethrough will be reduced causing a gravitational separation of fume productsfrom the liquid, a conduit capable of carrying the thus conditioned liquid to the scrubbing chamber, means for conveying the conditioned liquid through the conduit and means for removing the fume products from the conditioning chamber.

6. In a device for the continuous liquid treatment of fumes, in combination, a scrubbing chamber, means for causing a moving curtain of liquid within said chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against said liquid curtain, a conditioning chamber capable of recelving the used liquid, means within the chamber whereby said used liquid will be rapidly removed from surface contact with the fumes, means whereby the rate of low of said used liquid will be greatly reduced after its removal from contact with the fumes allowing gravitational separation of fume products, means for returning the thus conditioned liquid to said scrubbing chamber and means for removing the fume products from the conditioning chamber.

4'i'. In a device for the continuous liquid treatment of fumes, in combination, a scrub chamber, means whereby the rate of low of the used liquid will be greatly reduced during its passage through the remainder of said conditioning chamber allowing gravitational separation of fume products, a contreatment of fumes, in combination, ascrubbing chamber, means for causing a moving curtain of liquid within said chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against said liquid curtain, a conditioning chamber below said scrubbing chamber and extending beyond the same, `means whereby the` used liquid within the conditioning chamber will be removed rapidly from that portion of said chamber below said scrubbing chamber, means whereby the rate of flow of the used liquid will be greatly reduced during its passage through the remainder of said conditioning chamber allowing gravitational separation of fume products, a conditioned liquid chamber, means whereby the introduction of used liquid into the conditioning chamber will automatically return the conditioned liquid fo the conditioned liquid chamber and means for removing fume products from the conditioning chamber.

9. In a device for the continuous liquid treatment of fumes, in combination, a scrubbmg chamber, means for causing a moving curtain of liquid within said chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against said liquid curtain, a conditioning chamberbelow said scrubbing chamber and extending beyond the same, means whereby the used liquid within the conditioning chamber will be removed rapidly from that portion of said chamber below said scrubbingchamber, means whereby the rate of flow of the used liquid will be greatly reduced during its passage through the remainder of said conditioning chamber allowing gravitational separation of fume products, a sluice-way and conditioned liquid chamber connecting -said conditioning chamber with the scrubbing chamber, means for moving the conditioned liquid back to the scrubbing chamber and means for removing fume products from the conditioning chamber.

l0. In a device for the continuous liquid treatment vof fumes, in combination, a scrubbing chamber, means forv causing a moving curtain of liquid within said chamber, means for impinging a fume stream against said liquid curtain, a conditioning chamber below said scrubbing chamber and extending beyond the same, means whereby the used liquid within said conditioning chamber will be removed rapidly from that portion oi? said chamber below said scrubbing chamber, means whereby the rate of flow of said used liquid will be greatly reduced during its passage through the remainder of said conditioning chamber allowing gravitational separation of fume products, a lsluice-way removing the treated fume from said scruband conditioning-liquid-chamber connecting bin chamber.

the conditioning chamber with said scrubigned at New York city, in the county 10 bing chamber, means for moving the condiof New York and State of New York, this tioned liquid back to the scrubbing chamber, 24th day of August, 1923.

means for removing fume products from said conditioning chamber and means for ROBERT S. PERRY. 

